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Qaddafi’s Son Hannibal Is Said to Be Abducted in Lebanon Qaddafi’s Son Hannibal Is Said to Be Abducted in Lebanon
(35 minutes later)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanese news services reported on Friday that the youngest son of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the onetime leader of Libya killed in the uprising four years ago, had been abducted in Lebanon by militants apparently seeking to avenge a prominent Lebanese Shiite cleric who disappeared in Libya in the 1970s.BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanese news services reported on Friday that the youngest son of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the onetime leader of Libya killed in the uprising four years ago, had been abducted in Lebanon by militants apparently seeking to avenge a prominent Lebanese Shiite cleric who disappeared in Libya in the 1970s.
The National News Agency said the son, Hannibal Qaddafi, 40, who is married to a Lebanese model, was seized in the eastern Bekaa Valley region on Thursday by kidnappers who wanted information about the missing cleric, Moussa al-Sadr. Television stations in Lebanon broadcast a video of Hannibal Qaddafi, who appeared to have been beaten, conveying the request of his abductors.The National News Agency said the son, Hannibal Qaddafi, 40, who is married to a Lebanese model, was seized in the eastern Bekaa Valley region on Thursday by kidnappers who wanted information about the missing cleric, Moussa al-Sadr. Television stations in Lebanon broadcast a video of Hannibal Qaddafi, who appeared to have been beaten, conveying the request of his abductors.
Their identity was unclear. But Mr. Qaddafi said in the video that his abductors were loyalists of Imam Moussa al-Sadr, one of the most important Shiite clerical figures in the Middle East, who vanished during a visit to Libya in 1972. Their identity was unclear. But Mr. Qaddafi said in the video that his abductors were loyalists of Imam Moussa al-Sadr, one of the most important Shiite clerical figures in the Middle East, who vanished in 1978 during a visit to Libya at the invitation of Mr. Qaddafi’s father.
There was no immediate explanation for why Mr. Qaddafi was in Lebanon nor why the kidnappers had chosen this moment to take action on a grievance they have harbored for more than four decades. “Any person who is worried about my life or my health, I am in a good health, I am speaking comfortably, I am sitting with the group who has a cause and loyal to their cause and we should respect them for their loyalty,” Mr. Qaddafi said.
. Early Saturday, the National News Agency reported that Mr. Qaddafi had been handed over to Lebanon’s internal security forces. There was no immediate explanation for why Mr. Qaddafi was in Lebanon nor why the kidnappers had chosen this moment to take action on a grievance they have harbored for nearly four decades.
. Early Saturday, the National News Agency reported that Mr. Qaddafi had been handed over to internal security forces in Lebanon. It was unclear, however, whether they intended to detain him.
Jamal Zubia, a spokesman for the Libyan government in Tripoli, would not say whether the authorities there wanted him extradited.
Mr. Qaddafi is one of at least eight children fathered by Colonel Qaddafi, the mercurial autocrat who was ousted in the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that convulsed Libya and has since ushered in more volatility and violence there.Mr. Qaddafi is one of at least eight children fathered by Colonel Qaddafi, the mercurial autocrat who was ousted in the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that convulsed Libya and has since ushered in more volatility and violence there.
At least three of Colonel Qaddafi’s other sons are believed to have been killed in 2011, while another, Seif al-Islam Qaddafi, has been held in the custody of Libyan militants for trial ever since. He was sentenced by a Libyan court in July, but the verdict is subject to appeal.At least three of Colonel Qaddafi’s other sons are believed to have been killed in 2011, while another, Seif al-Islam Qaddafi, has been held in the custody of Libyan militants for trial ever since. He was sentenced by a Libyan court in July, but the verdict is subject to appeal.
Hannibal Qaddafi was believed to be among the Qaddafi family members who escaped to Algeria in a convoy in the waning months of Colonel Qaddafi’s rule.Hannibal Qaddafi was believed to be among the Qaddafi family members who escaped to Algeria in a convoy in the waning months of Colonel Qaddafi’s rule.
All were known for luxurious lives of privilege, but Hannibal was considered especially flamboyant. He was once detained on suspicion of drunken driving on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, but was released because he had diplomatic immunity.All were known for luxurious lives of privilege, but Hannibal was considered especially flamboyant. He was once detained on suspicion of drunken driving on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, but was released because he had diplomatic immunity.
He also was known for leaving a trail of unpaid bills in some of Europe’s best hotels. In 2008, he and his wife, the model Aline Skaf, were arrested in Switzerland over accusations that they assaulted two staff members in a Swiss hotel. His father retaliated by imprisoning two Swiss businessmen, causing a diplomatic uproar with Switzerland.He also was known for leaving a trail of unpaid bills in some of Europe’s best hotels. In 2008, he and his wife, the model Aline Skaf, were arrested in Switzerland over accusations that they assaulted two staff members in a Swiss hotel. His father retaliated by imprisoning two Swiss businessmen, causing a diplomatic uproar with Switzerland.